Heart Of The Dove Ministries

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2018-09-12T18:35:00.002-07:00

Changes in Life.

2018-04-25T07:03:00.002-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted on here. Seems time flies when you have been busy.

Life takes many turns and changes, some expected, and some not so much. There have been some dramatic changes where people have left this world, and that makes it sad and difficult.

I feel I have abused this blog, as I have been very distracted and wrapped up with just normal life things.

I just have to remember to breath, and take time for myself, and restore my mind and emotional state. It hasn't been easy to continue some days, and complicated.

One of my children departed this world just over a year ago, and my mother departed this plain also. It has been a sad time for me. I love them both very much, and will miss them until we meet again on the other side of this existence. I pray for all of you daily, that your travails and trials are soft, and you continue to move forward.

May the spirt of God cover you with grace and love.

G-

Martin & Marcello Talk Radio KTSM 690 AM Saturday, January 30th, 2016 7:30 am

2016-01-26T06:28:00.006-08:00

Martin & Marcello Talk Radio

KTSM 690 AM

Saturday, January 30th, 2016

7:30 am

Host

Gerald Martin

Guest Melanie Young

Founder of The Starchild Project

Neonatal Nurse Finds Bizarre Way To Help Critically Ill Babies

A Texas neonatal nurse hopes that a strange 900 year old skull holds the secret to treating some of the conditions that stop many babies surviving and thriving. Melanie Young, RN, worked in the neonatal unit of a busy hospital for over 14 years before she was given a strange gift that changed her life:

“I opened the box and there were two skulls inside. One was a normal human, but the other was so strange, I just took one look at it and thought, ‘How did you survive?’”

Young noted that the thin and light bone of the skull and its strange shape were different from any deformity she had ever seen in practice on in text books. She suspected that, if it was a human, it had survived a level of deformity that had never been survived before. Young explains, “You can have any sort of deformity created by genes getting confused, but mostly whatever goes wrong is so severe that it kills the baby either before it can be born, or shortly afterwards. But this skull lived long enough to not only grow teeth, but to wear them down with years of use. I saw those worn teeth and immediately wanted to know what made it so special that it could survive what no one else could, and I wanted to know if there was some way for that miracle element to be isolated and engineered into a treatment to help other babies survive.”

The strange skull in question was found in Mexico in the 1930s, but was kept in private collections until it was gifted to Young in 1998. The skull shot to recognition in 1999 when UFO enthusiasts noticed that it looked like a skull of the so-called “grey alien”, and it became known as the “Starchild Skull”. Young claims to be open to the possibility that it is an alien, but reiterates that her goal is to explore any medial or scientific benefits of the skull first and only then to worry about where it fits — if at all—on the human family tree.

In 1999 a volunteer organization known as the “Starchild Project” began seeking experts to examine the skull, and contracting independent labs to conduct donation-funded testing ranging from simple X-Rays to Scanning Electron Microscopy and even DNA testing. They have published all of the results and reports directly on the starchildproject.com website, and although some experts remain skeptical, many have gone on the record with their conclusions that it is not human, and their expectation that it will eventually be named as a previously undiscovered species.

Neanderthals, currently believed to be the closest genetic relative of humans, died out about 20,000 years ago, yet this new species lived only 900 years ago and appears to have lived among modern humans. If it is accepted as a new species, that Starchild Skull would represent a radical departure for the conventional timeline for humanoid life on Earth.

Despite the potentially history-changing nature of the skull, Young takes it all in her stride, saying, “It has never been about proving aliens exist or finding a new species. That would be cool but it’s not why I started this. The thing that has driven me to keep working on this is knowing that, if we could find out what made this a viable birth, then we could develop ways to help other babies with birth defects survive and live a productive life. There is nothing sadder than watching a little life get cut short, and I know if I can stop that happening even one time because of this skull it will all be worth it.”

Melanie Young is available for interviews, etc......

Obey God's Law, and Man's Law Submission to Civil Authorities

2015-12-03T08:48:00.003-08:00

11. Submission to Civil Authorities (1 Peter 2:13-17)

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

16 [Act] as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but [use it] as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

Introduction

For centuries, the Christian’s relationship to civil government has been a matter of critical importance. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel spent 400 years under Egyptian rule (see Genesis 15:12-16; Exodus 12:40-41). Later God gave the Jews over to Gentile rule as a consequence of their rebellion against Him (see Deuteronomy 28:64-68; Nehemiah 9:26-37; Daniel 9:4-19). The prophet Jeremiah spoke to the people of Israel, directing them to submit to Nebuchadnezzar and to Babylonian rule. They were to serve the king of Babylon and live. The false prophets, however, promised the people that God would quickly deliver them from their bondage (see Jeremiah 27). As a result, over a period of time through a sequence of rebellions and defeats at the hands of the Babylonians, almost the entire population of those dwelling in Jerusalem and the territory of Judah were taken as captives to Babylon (see 2 kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36). This same spirit of rebellion against foreign domination, even though divinely imposed, was evident in the Jews of Jesus’ day.

Contrast their words with those of Nehemiah:

36 “Behold, we are slaves today, and as to the land which Thou didst give to our fathers to eat of its fruit and its bounty, behold, we are slaves on it” (Nehemiah 9:36).

31 Jesus therefore was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, [then] you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You shall become free’?” (John 8:31-33).

In the New Testament, the Jews were once again subject to foreign rule though they refused to acknowledge their sin or their subjection. This rebellious attitude posed a danger for the Jews of Jerusalem and a danger for New Testament churches such as those to whom Peter had written. As Peter has indicated, Christianity is the fulfillment of God’s Old Testament promises (1 Peter 1:10-12). When unbelieving Jews tried to legally disown Christianity, Gallio, a Roman proconsul of Achaia, rejected their claims, which set a legal precedent and gave `Christianity the same rights and protection as Judaism (Acts 18:12-17).

The problem was that Rome had become increasingly displeased with Jews and Judaism (see Acts 18:2, 14-17), and the Jews were persistently resisting Roman control. This led to the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus just as our Lord forewarned (see Matthew 24:1-2; Luke 19:41-44). Since Rome viewed Judaism and Christianity as closely related, the church might be falsely accused of opposing Rome. Church history provides much evidence that Rome did eventually begin to accuse the church of crimes against the state. Peter’s words in our text are meant to avoid any unnecessary charges against the church and to arm the church with attitudes and actions which would show these charges to be false.

Many of the same dangers present at the time of Peter’s writing exist today in a slightly different form. Increasingly, Christians are looked upon with suspicion as those opposed to civil authority. David Koresh and his followers in Waco, Texas, may seem to be totally “unchristian” to evangelical believers, but there are those outside the faith who see little difference between them and evangelical Christianity. This is partly due to some Christians who are becoming increasingly militant and apparently more willing to break the laws of our land. An abortionist is murdered by a man whom some would view as little different from many other anti-abortionists. If the evangelical pro-life movement is willing to break laws in order to save the lives of the unborn, which laws are they not willing to break? Are they willing to kill in order to save lives? Some would like to think so. And some would like others to think so.

We see then just how vitally important the Christian’s relationship to civil government is. We are “aliens and strangers” on this earth; our citizenship is in heaven. But this does not mean we are somehow less obligated to obey the laws of the land. Unlike those who exploded a bomb in the New York World Trade Center, we dare not view our foreign citizenship as a license to break the laws of the land in which we live. Peter’s words are not easy to swallow, and they may be less than easy to obey. Peter will inform us that we have the same obligation to obey our government as do unbelievers living in this nation, but the Christian has an even higher obligation than unbelievers.

The Context of Our Text

Already in chapter 2, Peter has laid the foundation for the instructions he now gives concerning our conduct. Our relationship to Christ determines our identity. By faith in Him as the “living Stone,” we become living stones built up into a dwelling place of God where He abides, where priestly ministry is performed, and spiritual sacrifices are offered up. In Christ, we have become “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who belong to God, so that we may proclaim the excellencies of the One who called us from darkness into His marvelous light” (2:9). Our task is not only to be God’s possession but His dwelling place and a demonstration of His nature.

Verses 11 and 12 spell out in general terms the way we should fulfill our calling. We are to abstain from fleshly lusts which are “foreign” to our calling and destiny. We are to conduct ourselves in a godly fashion, so that while men may accuse us falsely for doing good in this life, they will give praise to God for these same deeds when they stand before Him at Christ’s return.

Beginning at verse 13, Peter becomes more specific about the ways in which we abstain from fleshly lusts and exhibit excellent behavior before men. Submission to others is the first specific manifestation of godly conduct. Since Peter is writing to the saints about Christian suffering, he addresses submission in the context of suffering. He writes about submission to those who may be the cause of our suffering. In 2:13-17, he speaks of submission to civil authorities and in 2:18-25 of the submission of slaves to cruel masters. In 3:1-6, he writes to wives who may be married to unbelieving, even unkind husbands. Finally in verse 7 of chapter 3, he speaks to husbands about submission.

Probing the Passage

VERSES 13 AND 14

The command is given to submit ourselves to every human institution.64 The word “submit” is almost always taught and understood in terms of authority. Submission is the proper response of the Christian to those in a position of authority over us. In secular thinking, this may be as far as submission will go, but this is not so in the Bible. In addition to being a matter of authority, submission is also a matter of priority.

Allow me to explain. In addition to requiring us to submit to those in authority, the Scriptures also call for submission to those who are our peers:

21 And be subject to one another in the fear of Christ (Ephesians 5:21).

In the context of his teaching on submission, Peter calls upon the saints to “honor all men.” I believe this is a manifestation of submission. Peter commands the saints to submit to the king as the one “in authority” (verse 13). The Greek term rendered “in authority” is the same term Paul employed in Philippians 2:3:

1 If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; 4 do not [merely] look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:1-5).

While God has sovereignly ordained governmental officials to hold positions of authority over us, we are also to regard our fellow-believers as having a higher claim on us than our own selfish desires. Therefore, submission is not only a matter of authority but also a matter of priority.

So far, in verses 13 and 14, submission is viewed in the context of authority, and those to whom we are to submit are civil authorities. Submission is not only to be granted to the king, the ultimate authority, but to all of his agents. As I understand Peter, this not only means men in prominent positions of power such as governors but those who act on their behalf, the civil servants who carry out the functions of government on our level. Peter expects us to respond to these agents of authority as though they were the supreme human authority whom they represent.

The purpose of government and those who govern is completely consistent with Peter’s call for excellent conduct and submission to civil authorities: “the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.” While the form of government may differ, the task is the same. Even a pagan and corrupt government is better than none at all. As bad as communism may seem to us, the people of Yugoslavia were better off under communism than the people of Bosnia are today.

Governments punish evil-doers, and they also praise those who do good. As President, George Bush initiated the “thousand points of light” program to honor those making a special contribution to our society. Even in ancient times, heathen rulers recognized their responsibility to do the same. When the Persian king Ahasuerus could not sleep, he gave the order for the chronicles of his kingdom to be read to him, no doubt hoping he would be put to sleep by them. When the account was read of Mordecai’s disclosure of a plot to abduct the king, Ahazuerus immediately asked, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” (Esther 6:3). When told that nothing had been done to honor Mordecai, he made things right the next day. This heathen king understood the need to honor those who do well in his kingdom.

Government’s obligation is to praise the righteous and punish the wicked. Peter’s command to submit to civil authorities does not include a promise that we will always be praised by earthly authorities for the good things we have done. He does, however, infer that praise is certain for the Christian. We are not to live righteously primarily to obtain the praise of men. We are to live righteously in order to bring praise to God and to await His praise. And so Peter instructs us to submit ourselves “for the Lord’s sake” (verse 13). Submission is to be “as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22), “in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1), and “for the Lord’s sake” (1 Peter 2:13). Our submission to civil authorities should be carried out as obedience to our Lord (see Romans 13:1-7). This is to be done in His strength and to His glory (see 1 Corinthians 10:31). If we submit in this way, we will receive praise from Him whom we serve, to whom we are ultimately in submission.

VERSE 15

15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

Submission is doing what is right. Submission is doing the will of God. Submission by doing right is the way that we may, in the will of God, see the ignorance of foolish men silenced.

The ignorance of foolish men is that ignorance related to man’s condition in unbelief65 (see 1 Peter 1:14). Man’s ignorance of God and His ways often results in foolish accusations against believers. They may see our good deeds as evil and accuse us for doing good (see 2:12). Because government’s task is to reward men for doing well and to punish them for evil, civil authorities must also determine whether our actions are good or evil. Often this is carried out through the court system. Sometimes it is done directly by the king.

Because Daniel was faithful by diligently carrying out his duties in serving King Darius, God blessed his work. As Daniel was promoted by the king, his peers began to resent him, seeking to find some area of failure or wrong-doing in his life. They concluded they would only be able to accuse him in connection with his faith (Daniel 6:24-27). When the king was tricked into passing a law which was certain to make Daniel a law-breaker, the king reluctantly cast Daniel into the den of lions hoping that his God might save him. And his God did save him! The king joyfully received Daniel back alive and hastened to “silence” Daniel’s false accusers:

24 The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and they cast them, their children, and their wives into the lions’ den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. 25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and [men of every] language who were living in all the land:

“May your peace abound! 26 I make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel; for He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion [will be] forever. 27 He delivers and rescues and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, who has [also] delivered Daniel from the power of the lions” (Daniel 6:24-27).

Our Lord was vindicated by Pilate although Pilate was pressured into executing this One whom he had just declared innocent:

14 “You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion, and behold, having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him” (Luke 23:14).

Paul was likewise vindicated by Roman officials:

30 And the king arose and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, 31 and when they had drawn aside, they [began] talking to one another, saying, “This man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment.” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar” (Acts 26:30-32; see 23:29).

Submission to civil authorities facilitates the task God has given to those who govern—to punish the wicked and reward the righteous—and expose and silence false charges against the righteous.

VERSES 16 AND 17

16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. 17 Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.66

Recently, I saw this bumper sticker on the back of a pick-up: “Obey God’s Laws, not man’s.”

This has a kind of pious ring to it—at first glance. But a serious problem exists in the thinking which underlies this proposition. The error is in assuming a significant conflict between man’s laws and God’s laws. Paul did not think so; neither did Peter. The biblical perspective is this: “Obey man’s laws as God’s law” (see Romans 13:1-7). Being citizens of the heavenly kingdom does not exempt us from our obligation to the laws of the land in which we live. Being “free” in Christ is not freedom from obedience to civil authorities.

To what “freedom” then is Peter referring in verse 16? Many think it is our freedom in Christ (see Luke 4:18; John 8:32, 36; Acts 13:39; Romans 6:7, 18, 22; 7:3; 8:2; 1 Corinthians 9:1, 19; 10:29; Galatians 5:1, 13). This “freedom” may be included in what Peter is talking about, but I believe he is also talking about one’s freedom as a citizen, as opposed to being a slave (see 1 Corinthians 7:21-22; 12:13; Galatians 3:28; Ephesians 6:8; Colossians 3:11). Peter addresses slaves in 1 Peter 2:18. In verse 16, he is speaking to free citizens, urging them to use their freedom for the progress of the gospel and the glory of God rather than for selfish ambitions. Everything legal is not necessarily moral or godly or profitable to others (see 1 Corinthians 6:12).

Paul often surrendered some of his freedoms for the good of others and the advance of the gospel. He was free to marry, but he chose not to do so (1 Corinthians 9:5; 7:8). He was free to be supported in his ministry, but he often chose not to be (see 1 Corinthians 9:1-18). His liberties were not exercised at the expense of others; they were employed in ministry to others. Paul’s submission to others caused him to view and use his liberties in a very different way. Peter calls on us here to do likewise.

What are some of the freedoms we may use as slaves of Christ, or abuse as slaves of our flesh? We have the liberties of our American citizenship and the rights we are granted by our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We should use these submissively to the benefit of others. There is the freedom of our personal liberties in Christ, within the confines of God’s Word and our personal convictions.

These should be employed as slaves of Christ and as the servants of others. There is the “freedom” of retirement. Do we use this for fulfilling our own selfish desires or for serving Christ and others? For some, there is the freedom to remain single. While Paul advocates remaining single so that we may more devotedly serve our Lord (1 Corinthians 7:25-35), most of those who remain single today do so to devote themselves to the pleasures of single life (I am not quite sure what these are, especially if we limit them to what God permits).

I believe Peter is teaching that submission is not just for those who cannot avoid it, for citizens under the rule of government and slaves under the authority of their masters. Peter is teaching us that submission should be our mindset even when we are “free.” We are, first and foremost, servants of Christ. Submission is to be the dominant theme in our lives—submission to Christ, submission to governmental authorities, and even submission to our peers and subordinates. This becomes much clearer in verse 17.

VERSE 17

Verse 17 greatly expands Peter’s teaching on submission. It covers the whole forest, from the king as the supreme human authority to those on the lowest levels of power or position. It also includes God as the ultimate and final authority over all creation. It covers both believers and unbelievers. And in the process, it shows certain crucial distinctions Christians must recognize and observe in their submission to others.

I am not altogether happy with the translation of verse 17 in the New International Version:

Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king (emphasis mine).

In the original text, it is the same term which is rendered “show proper respect” and “honor” in the same verse. This is not only unusual, it is misleading. The concept of “honor” is a fundamental and foundational part of submission. Peter is teaching that just as we must submit to those over us by honoring them, so we must submit to those under us with the same outlook.

Peter has not left the subject of submission here but rather has chosen to expand it dramatically. Now, submission involves not only submission to kings but to all men. Further, submission involves not just respect for higher authorities, but respect for all men because they are God’s creation.67

What do we honor in all men similar to the way we honor the king? The king is divinely appointed by God; thus, his authority and position are to be respected because God gave it to him (Romans 13:1).

All men are created by God with a certain reflection (although distorted) of His image (see Genesis 1:26). To honor men is to honor the God who made them and to honor the dignity they have as God’s creatures:

3 When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? 5 Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, And dost crown him with glory and majesty! (Psalms 8:3-5).68

Thus we have the command of our Lord through Peter to honor69 all men.

All men are to be given honor. We are to recognize that they have been created by God and are to be treated as His creatures. To honor men is to respect their dignity and even their individuality (for each is uniquely created by God—see Psalm 139).

We may define what it means to “honor” men in terms of what it means to “dishonor” men. Consider these texts which speak of dishonoring men:

21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever shall say, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty [enough to go] into the fiery hell (Matthew 5:21-22, emphasis mine).

1 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with [an attitude of] personal favoritism. 2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” 4 have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world [to be] rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? 7 Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? 8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin [and] are convicted by the law as transgressors (James 2:1-9).

We dishonor men by thinking of them or calling them fools, those whom the world would be better off without. God made them. They have value and a contribution to make to this world. We dare not think of them as a detriment or we dishonor the One who created them. We also dishonor men by discriminating against them, giving preferential treatment to those who appear to be of higher value while demeaning those who seem to have little value—little to offer us, little to contribute.

Discrimination dishonors men. Honoring men requires that we not judge them on the basis of appearances. It means that we dare not treat some men with dignity and others without dignity.

I see several areas where the application of this command is apparent on the surface. Racial discrimination is wrong, because it honors some men and dishonors others. The prison system often dehumanizes men and women and robs them and their families of all dignity. Strip searches of male inmates by female guards, for example, dehumanizes men. Often we fail to treat the elderly with dignity, especially in some institutions which are responsible to care for them. The poor are often humiliated and stripped of dignity by the way in which our welfare and public services are provided. To treat men as less than human is to put people in a category under us. Submitting to others begins by regarding them as having a dignity and honor which sets them above us and makes us their servants.

The arrangement of the instructions in verse 17 is meant to be instructive:

Honor all men; … love the brotherhood,
fear God, … honor the king

In addition to the arrangement, the terms “honor,” “love,” and “fear” are carefully chosen and distinguished.

Submission has a universal dimension which includes all mankind, without exception. All men are to be honored. The brotherhood of believers is to be loved. There is a greater degree of intimacy and contact, and relationship, between one believer and other saints. Thus, in Scripture, the believer has a higher level of obligation to believers than to unbelievers:

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith (Galatians 6:10).

The king is to receive honor as the ultimate human authority over men. He is to be honored as a man, the “head man” we might say. But there is a limit to the “honor” he receives. He is only to be honored as a man and never to be worshipped as a god. For allowing others to worship him as such, Herod was put to death by God (Acts 12:20-23). And so Peter distinguishes between the “honor” the king is to be given and the “fear” God alone is to receive from the saints.70

Conclusion

In many ways, Peter is teaching the same things Paul teaches elsewhere (see Romans 13:1-7; Titus 3:1-2). There are some unique areas of emphasis we would do well to focus on in concluding our study. To begin, I call to your attention some significant things Peter does not say in this passage.

(1) Peter gives us no exceptions concerning submission to authority. Peter mentions no exceptions or instances in which one might be required not to submit to civil authorities. Amazingly, while Paul could claim that he never violated a Roman or Jewish law (Acts 25:8), Peter is the one who broke the law. Twice he escaped from jail (Acts 5:17-21; 12:1-17), and twice he informed the Jewish ruling body, the Sanhedrin, that he and the apostles could not obey their commands:

18 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; 20 for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:18-20).

27 And when they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered and said, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:27-29).

How then do we square Peter’s practice with his teaching? We must first recognize that these two “escapes” were not made by overpowering the guards or sawing through the prison bars with a concealed file. In both instances, an angel released Peter (and John), and in the second incident through most of the escape, Peter thought he was dreaming. In addition, the angel who set Peter and John free gave them a specific command about where they were to go and what they were to do. To obey the command of the Sanhedrin would require Peter and John to disobey the angel and God who spoke through the angel. Peter saw that his choice was one of obeying God or men, and there was little doubt as to whom he would obey.

Having said this, it should also be suggested that even when we are forced to disobey a governmental authority, we should not cease to be in submission to them. While this sounds strange, it is important. When Daniel and his three friends disobeyed in Babylon, they still treated their governing authorities with respect. Their disobedience was not general but specific. They refused to obey only that law or command which would have forced them to disobey God. The same can be said of Peter and John.

The only examples we have in Scripture of civil disobedience are those where obedience to God is directly forbidden by a human command.

Some of the civil disobedience practiced in our country and defended by citing the precedent of Daniel and Peter misses this point badly. The assumption seems to be that a Christian can disobey any law with which he or she disagrees. The Bible speaks of the disobedience of those laws and commands which directly contradict God’s commands or laws. Cruelty, and even unjust suffering at the hand of civil authorities, are not cited as a legitimate basis for civil disobedience by Christians. Today Christians who are (rightly) distressed over laws which permit (not command) others (not us) to do wrong (abortion) feel justified to selectively violate other laws. This goes beyond any biblical example of legitimate civil disobedience. It also makes the blowing up of abortion clinics or the murder of abortionists a more extreme disobedience of the same kind. The difference between the civil disobedience of some anti-abortion protesters and others who would kill or injure abortionists appears to many to be just a matter of degree and not of kind.

In our text, Peter gives no reasons for civil disobedience, not because there are none, but because he does not want the exception to become the rule. Jesus did not wish to engage in dialogue over the various legitimate reasons for divorce because even the most legalistic Pharisees of His day were too lax on this matter. He did not want the exception to overshadow the rule (see Matthew 19:3-12).

One more point should be made about civil disobedience. It is not civil disobedience to expect and even require that government officials abide by the laws they are appointed to uphold. At His arrest and during the trial which resulted in His death, our Lord pointed out that these men were acting outside the boundaries of the law they were appointed to uphold (Luke 22:49-53; John 18:19-24). Paul refused to allow the Roman officials to quietly release him after they had broken the law by illegally beating him (Acts 16:35-4). Those who are appointed to uphold the law must also abide by it. Christian submission to civil authorities does not necessarily prevent us from requiring authorities to act lawfully.

(2) No qualifications are made as to the kind of government to which we are to submit. We would most certainly prefer to submit to a democratic government, but Peter gives no qualifications of this kind. Whether the government be totalitarian or democratic, the Christian’s obligation to submit to it is the same.

(3) Peter does not make the performance of government officials the basis for whether we submit to civil authorities. Peter makes it clear that government’s responsibility is to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. He does not tell us that we must submit only to those who, in our opinion, are performing well at their task. Peter tells us what God expects of governing authorities, not as a standard for what we should expect or demand, but as the basis for our respect. We are to respect civil authorities because of the dignity of the task God has given them, not because of their success at carrying out these duties. How often Christians excuse their disobedience because their superiors do not meet their expectations. These authorities (including elders, see Hebrews 13:17), will give account to God for their faithfulness in carrying out their task. We will give account for our obedience to God’s command to submit to them, whether they are worthy of it or not.

Having considered what Peter does not say on submission, let us move on to what he emphatically says.

(1) Peter’s teaching provides a different perspective of government. Christians today are becoming more and more suspicious of government as it seems to encroach on our religious freedoms. When Christians (or conservatives) are dominant in government, Christians breathe easily, but when “liberals” or “secular humanists” take control, we suddenly look at government differently. Let us remember that the government of Peter’s day was Rome, and the emperor at the end of Peter’s life was Nero. And yet Peter speaks of government not as our persecutor but as our protector. He speaks not of civil disobedience but of submission. He does not speak of government as our accuser but as the instrument through which false accusations are silenced. Let us look at government and respond to it as God has intended it to be, not as we fear it will be.

We should remember that while the Roman government played a crucial role in the execution of our Lord, it was also the Roman government which protected Paul and the preaching of the gospel. The decision of Gallio in Acts 18 resulted in the protection of Paul throughout his missionary journeys. Sometimes Paul preached the gospel while in chains and often at the side of a Roman soldier, but Roman authorities protected Paul from the wrath of Jewish and Gentile unbelievers.

(2) Peter’s teaching concerning submission to civil authority is based upon the very crucial premise of the sovereignty of God. Government is divinely ordained and exists only by the will of God. Its authority comes from God (see John 19:10-11). It achieves God’s purposes even when it fails to carry out its divinely given task. When God allows government to persecute Christians for well-doing rather than to praise them, even then His purposes are being accomplished. This was the early church’s comfort which must also be ours.

23 And when they had been released, they went to their own [companions,] and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard [this,] they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, “O Lord, it is Thou who DIDST MAKE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM, 25 who by the Holy Spirit, [through] the mouth of our father David Thy servant, didst say, ‘WHY DID THE GENTILES RAGE, AND THE PEOPLES DEVISE FUTILE THINGS? 26 THE KINGS OF THE EARTH TOOK THEIR STAND, AND THE RULERS WERE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD, AND AGAINST HIS CHRIST.’ 27 “For truly in this city there were gathered together against Thy holy servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever Thy hand and Thy purpose predestined to occur” (Acts 4:23-28).

When the governing authorities incarcerated Peter in a way that would have hindered the accomplishment of God’s predetermined plan, an angel of the Lord arranged for Peter’s escape. And when Herod sought to kill Peter, the church did not arrange protest marches; they prayed. The result was that Herod was put to death not by the hands of an angry mob but by the hand of God—and not because anyone protested against him, but because men praised him as god (see Acts 12).

(3) Peter’s teaching provides a different basis for submission. Peter instructs the saints to submit to governing authorities not because they are always right, or fair, or because doing so will always keep us from persecution. We are to obey for the Lord’s sake, in obedience to Him, and for His glory. Praise for well-doing may or may not come from earthly rulers, but it will come from God at the return of our Lord.

(4) Peter greatly expands our concept and practice of submission. The best any government can expect from its unbelieving citizens is obedience. Often that obedience is given only when under the scrutiny of those who enforce the laws. That is why people speed until their radar detector tells them to obey the law. Christian submission does not fall short of secular submission; it far surpasses it. The Christian is to obey civil authorities, whether they are looking or not. Beyond this, we are to give honor to civil authorities even when their performance does not seem to deserve it. We honor them for their position as given by God.

I must confess that I have fallen far short of Peter’s instructions in my own life. I have always had nicknames for people, particularly people in authority. I cannot give you an illustration of this without violating Peter’s command to give honor to those in authority. But one thing I know, God requires me to show honor to those in authority whether I voted for them or not.

May God grant us the ability to obey these instructions both in spirit and in truth, to the glory of God and for our ultimate good.

64 A number of commentaries note that the term “institution” is the unusual rendering of a Greek word consistently rendered “creation” or “creature” elsewhere in the New Testament. At least two meanings are inferred from this fact: (1) that the term refers to all mankind, not just to governing authorities, and (2) the terms emphasizes the divine origin and authority of human governments. The first is advocated by Kelly: “. . . the writer is laying it down that the principle of the redeemed Christian life must not be self-assertion or mutual exploitation, but the voluntary subordination of oneself to others (cf. Rom. xii.10; Eph. v. 21; Phil. ii. 3 f.).” J. N. D. Kelly, The Epistles of Peter and of Jude (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers), 1969. Harpers New Testament Commentaries Series, pp. 108-109.

The second is the position of Stibbs: “It is, therefore, probably truer to biblical usage to understand the phrase here as meaning ‘every divine institution among men’--thus ascribing the existence of such human institutions directly to the divine initiative . . . .” Alan M. Stibbs, The First Epistle General of Peter (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), [photolithoprinted] 1968. Tyndale Bible Commentaries Series, pp. 109-110.

New Testament theology and the context would support the emphasis of both, whether the Greek term requires it or not.

65 “Ignorance is not the more common term agnoia, used in 1:14, but agnosia, also used in 1 Corinthians 15:34, which does not so much denote intellectual inadequacy as a religious failure to perceive the true nature of the Christian faith and life. It implies a stronger sense of blameworthiness.” D. Edmond Hiebert, First Peter (Chicago: Moody Press), 1984, p. 157.

66 “The necessary stance of the Christian community is further described in vv. 16-17 with two corollary questions in mind: (1) What have the universal obligations of Christians to their fellow citizens to do with their particular obligations to one another? (2) What do their obligations to the emperor and civil magistrates have to do with their obligations to God? The answer follows in a terse four-part maxim in v. 17. The first two and the last two form pairs: respect is for everyone but love is for fellow believers--God deserves reverent fear while the emperor deserves respect.” J. Ramsey Michaels, 1 Peter (Waco, Texas: Word Books, Publisher), 1988. Word Biblical Commentary Series, p. 123.

67 This seems to point back to the expression “every human institution,” which is literally “every human creature or creation.”

68 While this text certainly focuses on the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, it also indicates the privileged position which God has given men in creation.

69 “To honour, or to ‘esteem highly’, is the proper general attitude to adopt towards all men. It is due equally to all as God’s creatures, and as the objects of His peculiar love and care (see Gn. v. i, ix. 6; Ps. vii. 4,5; Pr. xiv. 31; Rom. xiv. 10; Jas. iii. 8-10). This principle condemns much of man’s treatment of his fellows both in the political and in the industrial world.” Alan M. Stibbs, The First Epistle General of Peter (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), [photolithoprinted] 1968. Tyndale Bible Commentaries Series. p. 112.

70 Paul does not make the same distinction between “fear” and “honor” that Peter does as we can see in Romans 13:7. Peter distinguishes between “honor” and “fear” because he has already commanded the saints to conduct themselves in fear in relation to God (1 Peter 1:17-21).

Bob Deffinbaugh

My Garden

2015-09-28T16:55:00.002-07:00

When I look at my garden I see the blossoms of beautiful colors and shapes and forms. I see that each blossom brings such beauty, love and peace. The exquisite garden brings me internal joy knowing that each beautiful blossom was created by God and Earth provides those of the earth realm to tend to them.

Each plant, flower and weed has an individual design and when brought together create a beautiful design of God’s love and essence. Some plants grow tall and tower over the others as if a guardian to protect them.

Some are tiny and hold a place where others just stop to see this tiny plant holding a place of empowerment and remind us all that no matter how tall or tiny, every creation of God holds light, color and beauty for us to witness and experience. Some plants go to sleep at night while others are awake and watch over one another. Some leave the garden before others and we have the opportunity to thank it for what beauty it gave to the whole garden. There are flowers and plants that love the sun and rain, and others who like the shade and dark and it all creates a garden full of individuality and growth.

There are times when we have to weed the garden from that which

brings a negative and sometimes destructive element into the beauty of the garden, we have to then remove those weeds and allow them to

grow wherever they will be accepted and there is always some place to be on God’s earth.

It takes time to pull the weeds and it can be exhausting at the end of the day, but, within the time and space of weeding one can experience thoughts, words and lessons with the hard work. Once it is done and I take another look at the garden it is once again beautiful as it takes time and care, love and gentleness to cultivate the individual beauty and form of each blossom.

There are times when there are those elements that steal the seeds and take them elsewhere because they can not grow on their own. The weeds my find out that the seeds they stole were not theirs to steal at all.

Sometimes the winds bring back the seeds to be planted once again and to join the garden bringing their form, their color and their fragrance as well beauty back and and when I look at the garden I know they are in full bloom because God created each and everyone to be the most divine aspect of Being for God’s delight and joy.

Being a caregiver of God’s garden teaches as many lessons and out of each of those lessons, we receive the blessings of God’s Knowledge, Wisdom, Grace and Mercy. I am thankful that I have been given the joy to cultivate a magnificent garden on God’s beautiful planet we call Earth.

Oneesha

Today

2015-09-24T13:09:00.003-07:00

Today as I was working and writing I felt this energy come upon me and I knew I had to sit still and be in the presence of that energy. As I let go and placed myself in meditation, I could feel the Light and Love of God embracing me, filling me with gratitude. When the meditation ended I continued to feel the energy of gratitude moving through me. I knew it was time to write to a couple very specific people in my life, as it was time to let them know my deepest thoughts for them and know that I had the opportunity to say what was in my heart.

The one thing I have learned in the last ten years so deeply, is that time is not about us, it is about the timing of God, the presence of change and movement in our lives so we can become and do what we came here to do.

Years ago Oprah had someone on her show that shared his story about not having enough time to tell his father how he felt before his father passed. I am not sure why that had the affect on me that it did, but, I heard that message deep down inside of me and I am so thankful that I did. I sat down and wrote my parents a letter from my heart, sharing my thoughts, my love and gratitude with them for being the wonderful and kind parents they were.

I have always been a card sender, sending cards to thank others, to let them know I was thinking of them, it is just who I am and I love that aspect of myself because it gives me great joy to let others know how important they are to me in my world.

Well today when that energy came over me to meditate the same feelings came to me to sit down and write to those specific individuals and share my soul thoughts with them.

We often think we have tomorrow, we have time, we don’t have to tell them anything because they know. It is true, they probably do know, but, when I receive letters and cards of gratitude, care and thank you notes, it brightens my day to know that someone was thinking about me, and took the time to communicate with me a hand written note or letter. I continue to believe in the regular mailing system, and love to go to the mailbox and receive something unexpected that fills my heart with joy.

That letter I wrote and sent to my parents way back, I found in a frame on their bedroom wall once when I went to visit them, I sat down and the tears came because I knew it was received and they that it was important enough to frame and be present in their lives every day.

We live in a very fast moving world right now. We share things on facebook that sometimes I cringe at and sometimes smile about and all, but, the whole world is looking at it too!

Writing to someone is private, it is intended to be between you and me. It is so special to know you are thought of and to let others know they are special too!

I have met someone new who is a friend of someone I love dearly and I have received two cards from him already within the very short time I have had the joy of getting to know him.

I thought about it when I wrote today. Whether it is sent by the regular mail, email or handed to them, it is important to let someone in your life know how you feel, tomorrow isn't promised to us and letting others know how important they are to you and what they may have done for you that was deeply moving and important is such a wonderful gift, lifts the spirit and the soul sings a song.

Thank you,

Oneesha La Ka

Thoughts

2015-09-08T08:26:00.002-07:00

Woke up today knowing everything in my life is about to change. I don’t know how to explain it but it is deep feeling. It is going to just happen. Life is about changes and moving, endings and beginnings. There is a Universal Law that states: The readiness of a situation to alter, modify, transform or convert is caused by change in “inner attitude” of one of many, and then incidental and parallel outer manifestation occurs.

I felt the time for shift and change was already here about two months ago and felt I was not ready to shift, but, as my work changes and my energy in life is changing it is all meant to be.

I’ve been aware for my life that every 10 years for me something shifts and I think that is good. Now my life’s work is changing and I think that is wonderful. I have a strong sense and desire to work with women to overcome their pain through healing of their soul. This work has come to me and opened a new doorway. I see it as a combination of all the classes and workshops I have created and taught with the my masters guides and teachers. We take all we learn and pay it forward in service and when we do this, our soul rejoices in being a living prayer of hope and understanding for others. The journey has also impacted my own personal life in dramatic ways and the shifting is necessary.

I am blessed with the support of my partner and family and that means everything to me.

In the program we offer: The I AM Teaching, we teach that we often become comfortable in situations that are not working or not good for our highest and best because the change can be very difficult and we are not sure what the future looks like, so we stay comfortable in what we know, even when know we are stuck, we seem to want to know how things will be,before we risk what we have. That often creates missed opportunities, frustrations, disappointments.

For me, that meant that I needed to step forward on a new path because the old one is not working, the feeling is it is complete and now it is time for the new way. We all at the Heart of The Dove have been feeling the shift for along while.

We will always be the Heart Of The Dove, and always offer more advanced classes and workshops. Gerald and I enjoy teaching and offering guidance and private sessions, but, it is time to be of service and assist in the areas that I have had to overcome in my life and offer my knowingness and my hope to others.

Have a blessed day and know that God always has a plan waiting for us to arrive.

My love and peace to all.

Rev. Oneesha

Rewards

2015-05-29T10:31:00.002-07:00

"Whatever it is you seek in the form of rewards, you must first

earn. All attempts to sidestep this law will end in failure,

frustration and, if maintained long enough, ultimate

demoralization. All over the world there are millions of people

who are being hurt, confused, frightened, and whose lives are

turned upside down because they don’t understand the

principle law on which everything in the universe operates -

the law of cause and effect."

- Earl Nightingale

Success

2015-05-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

My dad used to tell me stories about the day every year that the auto manufacturers introduced their new line of cars and trucks.

That day, people would flock to the dealerships. It looked like the county fair at the local car lots. Dealers sold more cars that day than the whole month before.

There wasn't anything like that excitement, I've been told.

Today, new models hardly get noticed. At least not the way they used to.

Why?

Because there is so much more trying to grab our attention today.

Because billions of dollars have been spent by companies in all the world's industries studying what makes us buy or not buy things. Learning how to target us more effectively.

I mean, at every turn everything we could ever want, as a consumer, is being promoted to us... "Get me!"

"All your friends have me." "You deserve to have me now!"

The marketing noise is deafening.

And it works. It makes us want what's being sold... right now.

In fact, it makes us want to have EVERYTHING now.

"Why does THAT person get to have that car, those clothes, that girl friend, that job, that grade, those sneakers when I'm stuck with less."

"I deserve to have it now."

"Let's steal that money, that bottle, that shirt, that car, his girl friend."

"Life's not fair."

Yeah, life's not always fair. But that's life.

Oh, I know, life's too short to work so hard to be thin, to be financially secure, to follow rules, to get good grades, to...

Too often, depression and anxiety is a result of false expectations of what life "should" be.

Did you ever hear of the saying, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten?"

So my dear, dear friend, in the areas of life that you want to change, you need concrete goals or you'll always get the usual crap.

Did you ever meet anyone who lost 50 pounds or more unless they had the goal to do so?

No goal... no achievement.

How about building a multi-million dollar company without some clear daily and long-term goals?

Does anyone get straight A's without the goal to do so first?

Let me be as clear about this as I can be...You can get along, get some halfway decent grades, maybe rise up in your company just by showing up, get married, have kids and have a fairly average life without clear goals.

I mean, if you're typical you've gotten where you are now without setting and achieving any REALLY challenging benchmarks for yourself in any area of life. If you're typical and honest with yourself, you'll likely agree.

And while this discussion isn't meant to be the final word on goals, I think you can see now that committing to a clearly defined goal is critical to getting what you really want.

Especially with all of life's distractions, and the constant pressures to believe that our successes must happen NOW.

Want energy? Set some goals in any area of life you want.

And this time, commit to it like you've never committed to anything before.

This process will give you such a charge it will astound you.

Truly depressed? Then set a really challenging goal and work like you've never worked for anything else before.

Make reaching this goal the most important thing.

And I know this sounds too simple.

Look, life isn't as complicated as it feels sometime.

My life sucked in every way until I was nearly 25 years old.

I got fired from a lot of minimum wage jobs and had to live in a 9 year old van as a result.

And it didn't turn around until I got super focused on one thing... keeping a job. When I focused on that almost exclusively, suddenly I started to get really good at it.

I didn't get fired either.

Well, many huge goals later, and my web site is the biggest of its kind in the world. And there are many other incredible things going on here that will ultimately change millions of people's lives.

And none of them would have ever come about without a committed focus to mastering one thing, then mastering another one thing, then...

Now, that does lead to some imbalance at times.

But in all honesty, the most successful, wealthy, well known and yes, happiest people who ever lived totally mastered just a few things. That mastery in just a few areas of life gave them the freedoms and joy that few people will ever know.

Why?

Because few people want to work hard enough to master anything.

Most don't understand the implications of earning what they get.

Most don't understand, until it's often too late, that things that come too easy or that were dishonestly gained never stay around long.

What? You thought your bad luck was just bad luck?

Not bad luck. Bad beliefs. Bad actions.

And it doesn't matter how big the gains are...

90% of all million+ dollar lottery winners blow it all very quickly and spend the rest of their lives bitter and with nothing...

But not you.

You're going to set a big goal right now, take concrete steps toward reaching it and make decisions that will support you on your path to success.

And this will all start to make sense.

Don't read this and forget about it. Do something now or your chance will be lost.

All right! There's hope for you!

Have a Wonderful Day.

Gerald

It's a Great Day

2015-05-29T10:06:00.003-07:00

Ah, it’s a wonderful day, today. Yes, it is, most certainly.

It’s a great day to be alive. It’s another day to learn.

Today is a day to give of yourself in labor.

Today is a day to play, to grow and to achieve your dreams… after all, you have dreams and you have but one life to achieve them.

Did you notice that? Those statements...

All of them are statements of belief - of conviction… of affirmation.

I also call affirmations self-instructions because that describes what they do. They instruct us how to feel and how to act. They affirm who we are at the deepest levels. They are the most powerful and the easiest tools to use for changing your emotions and the results you get in your life... IF you use the right self-instructions.

And if you use them A LOT.

You see, every moment of every day you are thinking. You can't stop it. Even if you are an experienced meditator, you would find it hard to turn off the pictures, sounds and feelings your mind serves up. Every minute of every day you are affirming what you already believe.

You are doing it this very second.

And in order to change your life, you must change your affirmations, your self-instructions… what you believe and accept as true.

If you doubt it, then you thought, “That’s not true.”

But guess what… That was an affirmation, too - a statement of belief and conviction.

In fact, every statement you've ever made or ever will make and every thought you've had or ever will have is either a question, an affirmation or an affirmative command.

“Is that true?” (that's a question)

“Yes that's true,” (That's an affirmation)

“Sweet!” (affirmation)

“Please leave,” (affirmative command)

“I am not going anywhere!” (affirmation)

“Sit down,” (affirmative command)

“This is interesting,” “I don’t know,” “This is boring,” “I'm hungry,” “I'm tired,” “This is never going to work,” “I feel incredible,” “I can't concentrate,” “This is easy,” “Lifting weights is invigorating,” “I hate sweating.”

All just affirmations… Self-instructions.

So anyone that says affirmations don't work has absolutely no idea what they are talking about. Zero. Because they are ‘working’ on you right now and they will ‘work’ on you until you shuffle off these mortal coils.

What's my point? (question)

Since your minute by minute affirmations (thoughts) represent your past, present and – most likely – your future beliefs and attitudes, if you elevate your affirmations toward what is most useful and empowering, you would enjoy greater success, better health and true peace of mind with very little effort.

Even if you’re already extremely skilled in some area of life, if you wanted to, you could enjoy even greater accomplishments by transforming your thoughts.

A large part of our research at Think Right Now International is to catalog and compare the beliefs, attitudes and actions of the world’s most successful, happiest people to the most unsuccessful, unhappy people.

They are always polar opposites.

For example, when the healthiest, oldest living people on the planet feel comfortably full, they typically say to themselves, “I feel just right.” And they stop eating even if a pile of their favorite food is still on their plates...

But what do people who suffer the most illnesses, pain and diseases do at the full mark? Yup. They often say things like, “One more bite won't hurt,” “It’ so good, I can't stop,” “Oh, it's small,” “I'll just eat light tomorrow,” “I'm still hungry,” “I can't throw this good food away,” “There's just a few bites left – might as well finish it.” And they continue eating.

In every discipline or area of life, we always find hundreds and often over one thousand differences in core belief and attitude patterns between successful people and those who routinely fail.

And the sobering truth is that the longer a person owns a belief (affirms it), the harder it is to change. The old saying that you can't teach an old dog new tricks is an old saying for a good reason. Because our minds don’t like change… it is uncomfortable to change.

You see, the pain you feel now might be bad, but at least it’s familiar. You are handling it. But when big habit changes happen quickly, it's doubly agonizing because they are unfamiliar…unknown. And the unknown can be frightening.

That's why when you read a self-help book, go to therapy or to a seminar, chances are excellent that you will do nothing different. Or if you do experience an improvement in your moods or habits, it's usually very short lived. Why? Because your long-held assumptions, beliefs and attitudes (lifelong affirmations) were never changed. You simply had a few more facts… So you unconsciously resist the change...

You found reasons why you couldn't continue, why you didn't like it, why it was wrong for you, why you couldn't succeed after all.

Because facts and logic alone is never enough with the biggest challenges of life.

If just knowing what to do guaranteed success, then everyone would get straight A's in school and would go on to have successful careers in their chosen field of study.

But they don't.

Out of every 100 students using the same text book, hearing the same lectures from the same teacher, only a few will score 90+ and even fewer will use their schooling to ensure success in career and life.

Because facts and logic alone are never enough.

Why? Because we are talking to ourselves all day long. In fact, our research found that most people's current thoughts (affirmations) are the same ones they had many years before. Most people have the same failure oriented beliefs in 2007 that they had in 1997, 1987 and 1977. If something frightened you 10 years ago, it's likely to still make your knees knock today. If you hate exercising now, you probably won't like it 10 years from now. And no matter how much gear you buy, you’ll probably still affirm (believe) the same things about it that you do now. If you are a disorganized mess maker now, you’ll probably be the same ten and twenty years from now.

Why is this so? I call it mental patterns. They are hard-wired into you from years of conditioning.

I have many clients whose core mental patterns are so disempowering, they suffer from panic attacks. They lose all control of their minds and bodies. But in most cases, when we aggressively work to alter their moment by moment thoughts which alters their core assumptions about themselves and about life, the 'disorder' called panic attack ends. This is true even if therapy has done nothing and the toxic psychoactive drugs they've been taking for decades have damaged their brains. Yup. Self-instructions are powerful.

Our research shows that without mental conditioning through massive repetition of positive opposing thought, the things you are bad at today you will still be bad at in ten years. In most cases.

“Same sh*t, different day” is a cliché because, unfortunately, it's true for most people.

Think of your usual thoughts (affirmations) as a paint brush that continues to paint the same colors on the same places on the same canvas… for the rest of your life. The longer you paint, the thicker the paint gets. It gets so deep that there comes a point where it feels impossible to change the picture.

“Quitting smoking is so hard,” “I’ll never figure this out,” “You make me so mad,” “Everyone my age is overweight,” “I'm just not good at this,” “I'm not meant to have a lot of money,” “I’m too busy to eat healthier,” “I'll never get caught up,” “I'm so depressed,” “I feel like I'm going to die,” “I knew it wasn't going to work,” “I need some chocolate,” “I'm so disorganized,” “There are no decent men out there.”

These kind of beliefs (affirmations) fill you with anxiety. They make simple decisions difficult, suck the joy out of your accomplishments, create illness and disease, take away your energy and zest for adventure. In any area of life where you cannot seem to succeed no matter what, I guarantee you that beliefs like those above are controlling you every minute of every day.

But they don't have to any more.

Ponder this fact... Every sentence you’ve read here is either a question, an affirmation or an affirmative command. Check it. Believe in affirmations now? Good. Step 1 is complete.

Now for Step 2. Pick any area of your life that doesn’t work, where you fail, feel fearful, hopeless or where your luck is never any good. It could be your poor diet, lack of fitness, anxiety/depression, career trouble, problems in the friendships/social arena, bad romances/sex, financial woes, poor organization, sports, study habits/test taking, memory, time management… any area of life where you are having big troubles or where you want to be a top performer.

Next, go somewhere by yourself and think about that topic. Notice your thoughts.

Whenever you notice a disempowered thought…one that makes you feel like crap, when you see a picture/movie of yourself failing or if you hear yourself say anything that makes you feel less capable, write down the thought or description of the pictures and feelings.

For example, if you want to improve your financial situation, you must get by yourself and listen to your inner dialog and notice your mental pictures about these issues. When you hear or see a rotten one, write it down. Then when you’ve done this for a while, take this list of problem beliefs/attitudes and write opposing statements in affirmation form.

So if you routinely get up late, don’t start your daily phone calls until 11:00, take long lunches, spend money you shouldn’t and never read investment related books or invest in appreciating assets, turn these beliefs, attitudes and actions around by writing down

opposing first-person, present-tense statements of affirmation. These statements will command your mind to believe differently, to feel differently and to act differently.

Take this new set of desired beliefs, attitudes and actions and copy each one down on a sheet of paper and live with those cards. Take it everywhere with you and read them with strong emotion upon waking, at lunchtime and before you go to bed. Say them aloud whenever possible. Commit to doing this and soon you’ll be taking positive daily action related to financial matters that are exactly like the best money-makers and money-managers alive.

If you think this won’t have an incredibly positive effect on your emotions and your actions, remember that that belief/attitude is an affirmation.

Suspend the doubt and follow through on this and you will have taken the most important step in your personal and professional development. Do this and nothing will be beyond your grasp. Your confidence will soar. Your motivation will last. Your follow through will be perfect. Any goal will be possible for you. Happiness will be your normal mental state.

These last statements? Just affirmations, right?

Evolution of the Spirit

2015-04-27T10:08:00.004-07:00

Henry David Thoreau, in the mid 1800s, wrote, "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."

A century and a half has passed, and Thoreau's words still strongly echo in our lives. Consider the current levels of war, poverty, sickness, starvation, etc. present in the world today. We understand that a recent United Nations study¹ reported on the status, or well-being, of the people of member nations regarding challenges those people face daily. They took all the responses received and boiled them down to one word to describe the overall condition of the people of these nations. That word is "meaningless."

And lest we egotistically think that such studies are only descriptive of so-called underdeveloped countries, do we not have ample evidence much closer to home that reflects this same condition? Consider distressingly high teen suicide rates, bulging prison populations, rampant family disharmony and pervasive political dissension. Imagine, for huge numbers of people alive at this time, perhaps including you, that life is experienced as meaningless.

But Thoreau said "most men," and "most" is not "all." Who, then, are those who did not, or will not, die without fully singing the song they were born to sing?

They are the ones who realize that true and lasting happiness and fulfillment can never be won on the battlefield of material success, no matter how powerful or wealthy one becomes, or how adept one is at surrounding oneself with the "right" people or circumstances.

The songsters among us are those who have come to know that, as Danion Brinkley reminded us, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." That one sentence has profound implications, for how does one live in the conscious awareness of his or her spiritual nature?

The single message of those who have realized such potential has always been the same, and basically, it comes down to this: True and lasting happiness and fulfillment are an individual affair and can only be found by going deep within, where one's true essence is vividly and stunningly revealed as love -- and then living into the reality of that awareness.

For those of us alive today, this realization is actually good news and explains the rapidly increasing interest in spiritual activity worldwide. More people today than ever before in human history are waking up into the awareness of spiritual reality. In terms of the UN study, more and more people are coming to the realization that what they are truly seeking is meaning in their lives. Let's be even more precise: it's neither gold nor land nor even being right for which we truly yearn; rather, it is that our lives count for something a good deal deeper than the latest electronic gadget. It is not surprising that the number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) worldwide continues to grow and provide enormous amounts of compassion-based service in various parts of the world.

Who would have ever thought that resolving the seemingly endless experience of emotional suffering would be a measure of spiritual evolution?

The Persian poet Rumi had a clue when he stated, "Your task is not to seek for love, your task is to seek and find all the barriers you have built against it." And to that we would add: "And to dissolve them." We refer to Rumi's "barriers" as "unresolved issues," which are at the core of almost all emotional suffering.

It's our unresolved issues (barriers) that keep us asleep and unaware of who we are: divine beings whose essential nature is loving. And what's an unresolved issue? "Anything that disturbs your peace." And we do mean anything. In fact, we've devised a simple, foolproof test for identifying unresolved issues. Ready?

Do you ever find yourself in an attitude of "I am upset because [fill in the blank]"? Consider the possibility that anytime you are upset about anything, regardless of all your well thought-through reasons, your school has gone into session and an unresolved issue has been surfaced in your awareness. Further, when viewed from within the context of spiritual psychology, such instances of moving into "upset" are sacred opportunities for healing the underlying, unresolved issue for the last time.

And how do you do it? One of the principles of spiritual psychology is that "healing is the application of loving to the parts inside that hurt."

If ever there was a way to transform a life of quiet desperation into a life of effective peaceful living, healing inner hurts surely ranks right up there. As you resolve issues, you stand up in who you truly are and find purpose and meaning in sharing your unique contribution.

The more issues you resolve, the more you evolve spiritually, the more peaceful and caring you become, and the more you contribute to the evolution of consciousness of the human species. As it is said, "Every time one person resolves one issue, all of humanity evolves."

Meaning is a natural and automatic by-product of a life filled with acts of love. If you want to live a life filled with meaning, start expressing from your essential loving nature. Start singing your song.

Ready to begin? Here's a simple process that you can try out and experience the result for yourself. For the next week, everywhere you go and under all circumstances, consciously choose to see the loving nature in everyone you encounter. That means resisting the urge to succumb to the negative habit of judging them.

And oh, there is one small guideline you'll need to follow: This way of seeing extends to everyone, including yourself, regardless of any considerations.

References:

1. Nicanor Perlas, "Shaping Globalization" (Saratoga Springs: GlobeNet3, 1999).

Show Up In Your LIfe....

2015-04-23T09:41:00.003-07:00

This morning I have been thinking about the last 39 years that I have been blessed to teach on the subjects of metaphysics, paranormal activities, and spirituality. My life has been beyond blessed and rewarding. The journey has been a roller coaster of emotions, financial

situations and relationships, LIFE.

My life has made a change in direction starting in May of this year and now it is September and through some difficult health issues and realizations I was able to shift through another Doorway on my journey.

There are a couple of things for me I know for sure so I thought I would share them.

First, we must be true to ourselves no matter what other people are telling us, even when it is difficult and sometimes somewhat painful.

Second, We must learn to love ourselves for who we are, as God created us out of love and gave us Free Will to create our lives by making decisions for our own Soul Growth and Spiritual journey.

Third, We are not in control of any life forces that surround us, we must learn flexibility and how to change our perceptions and take appropriate action. This is Key in surviving the unseen forces of our lives.

Fourth, We must be allow ourselves to feel, sense and know life. We can not sustain our lives in denial of what we know, what we feel, what we sense they are gifts for us to pay attention to the details of our lives, our parents, grandparents, children, partners, friends, community and the world.

Fifth, We are capable of manifestation by accepting the this mantra “With God All Things Are Possible.”

Sixth, It is to live our lives in the present moment, realizing that we do not actually know God’s plan, our Soul has a path and we are on this journey to “become who we already are”...

Once we stop fighting the forces and go with the energy flow that is guiding us.

Seventh, We have the ability to Love, have Compassion, Mercy, Forgiveness, Patience, Tolerance, Joy, Abundance, Giving and Receiving, but, we must Open Our Hearts and Accept our goodness, kindness and allow Grace to Flow Through Us in God’s Name. (your God)

Eight, When we love, love truly, with no lies, no hidden agendas, no false feelings and be who you are. Never let others tell you how to love or who to be with. They are not on your journey, they need to keep to their own journey to live it well.

Nine, Live, Love, Dance, Sing, Eat, Make Love, Share your deepest truths with the ones you call partner and those who love you deeply from within their souls. Accept nothing less for yourself.

Ten, ABOVE ALL OTHERS “LOVE YOUR GOD”, and follow this practice “BE STILL AND KNOW I AM’’.

I have found out without a doubt, my path is not your path, your likes and dislikes belong to you. Your faith in God belongs to you, and my faith in God belongs to me.

We are capable of coming together and doing remarkable deeds for each other and our planet when everyone stops trying to be in charge and becoming a know it all and let’s God work through US for the Good Of All. WE are ONE Unit within the Cells of God our Creator and together We Stand, Divided We FAll... We have the choice to do it correctly or pretend we don’t know what to do.....

2014

2014-12-12T17:24:00.002-08:00

2014 was a year of new growth, changes and gratitude

This year has been a great year for renewing my spirit, as well as facing some physical challenges. My emotional body on over time and learning every day more about what is important in my life since we are always in a consistent flow of ever changing energy.

For me my view on my life shifted greatly after returning from New England with Gerald.

What seemed to be extremely important became less important and things I knew I had to shift well they became much more important. It is funny they say you can’t teach old dogs new tricks, but, that is not true...We always want to learn and move forward and change what is not working and allow what is working to work better.

Going to New England the beginning of this year was life changing in many ways, one I knew I did not want to move to New England, that I want to live here in Las Cruces, it is where my family and friends are. The second thing I had to learn and take to heart is that I needed to let go of the areas in my life that have caused me stress and therefore difficulty with my health and relationships. I started out slowly and then it was in place, almost. I put my focus into the areas of my life that were the blessings and although I have always had gratitude, I was in a state of more thankfulness and being in this state of thankfulness, I felt the presence of magnificent Light and Love moving through me assisting me to make the necessary changes. Immanuel - “God With Us “ came to me in May of this year. I was stunned and overwhelmed in joy, which led to a process of more and more changes. Each time we accept the gifts of God with humble gratitude and service life becomes much more evolved in a deeper and in a way of realizations that must be recognized and applied in our daily lives, and so it was.

Now after 6 months, my life has been making a full circle. My work is increasing again, my desire to spend time with those who have helped me create my life are more important to me than before, and honestly I thought that was impossible.

My life and friendship with Gerald is so awesome and filled with surprised, honesty, joy and kids our friends and for me has become stronger and I have balanced out my work with Immanuel, we will offer new classes and workshops in the new year. Travel is a priority for Immanuel and my writing. My family/friends could not be more supportive and encouraging. Making time for those things in my life that are most important has allowed me to release the areas and things in my life that were unhealthy for me created change in my life, and these changes have opened up the flow of energy to a greater light and manifestation.

I wanted to share this as we head into a new year filled with opportunities, relationships and challenges. What I have learned is to turn the page in my life so that I can begin writing my journey and fulfilling my dreams and desires with new and power energy allowing myself to feel and become empowered. Remember we create our own realities and the people around us show us our inner self and what is necessary to heal, for as we look at them and have feelings, opinions and attitudes about, they are the very feelings, opinions and attitudes within us.,

I am in so much gratitude to my personal family and to the Heart Of The Dove family and friends.

Gerald and I are looking forward to this new year to bring new and empowering programs and workshops to those of their awakened journey.

I personally thank Gerald, for he has been with me every step of the way encouraging me and assisting me and being my work partner and best friend.

Love those you love and love them more. Be in gratitude for those that love you and love them unconditionally. Be of service, be of good heart and soul in your service. Be present in your everyday filled with abundance and gratitude.

Many blessings, Oneesha

Five Steps ....Instructions by Paul

2014-11-17T14:02:00.000-08:00

Be on your guard: stand firm in the faith; be men of courage, be strong. Do everything in love. 1 Corinthians 16:-13

Lord, Today I pray according to Paul’s instruction to new believers who felt pulled in every direction by the culture around them. I want to be true to You, and to express Your true-ness all day long.

Be on your guard - Show me, Lord, the influences, distractions, or downright attacks that could pierce my spirit or get me off track from this spiritual adventure with You.

Stand firm in the faith - Help me remember today the unchangeable truths I’m building my life on: God is real; God is loved; God is life; God has requirements; I can’t reach or please God on my own, but in Christ, God has made a way back to Himself.

Be people of courage - You’ve made me with feelings that fly one way, then another, then hang limp like the flag at the courthouse. Show me when to trust, and when to distrust, my feelings today. Help me to act brave even when I don’t feel it.

Be strong - Help me reach for Your promised strength today. Keep me from compromises that weaken my commitment and sabotage my success. Put Your shield of spiritual safety around me.

Do everything in love - Yes, everything. But how? ONly by Your presence, which is Love, reaching beyond the stingy limits of my own inclinations today. Oh, especially help me to love, Lord!

In Your name I pray. Amen.

Praying The Bible for Your Life...David Kopp

Blessings,

Rev. Martha Turner

Day of Disaster

2014-11-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah --

16 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2 “You must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3 For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers: 4 “They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like dung lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the -birds and the wild animals.”

5 For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity from this people,” declares the Lord. 6 “Both high and low will die in this land.They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut themselves or shave their head for the dead. 7 No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console them.

8 “And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink. 9 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.

10 “When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’ 11 then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12 But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me. 13 So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’

14 “However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 15 but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors.

16 “But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them.After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks. 17 My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. 18 I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.”

19 Lord, my strength and my fortress,
    my refuge in time of distress,
to you the nations will come
    from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,
    worthless idols that did them no good.
20 Do people make their own gods?
    Yes, but they are not gods!”

21 “Therefore I will teach them—
    this time I will teach them
    my power and might.
Then they will know
    that my name is the Lord.

The Holy Anointing Oil

2014-10-03T13:42:00.003-07:00

In 1936, a little known Polish Professor, Sara Benetowa (later Sula Benet), did extensive etymological research, showing that both the Aramaic and Hebrew versions of the Old Testament contained references to cannabis as a fiber for rope and cloth, as well as an incense. But most pre-eminently, hemp was the active ingredient in the Holy anointing oil of the ancient Hebrews, a practice likely adopted alongside with their god, from the earlier cult of Dagon/Ea/Enki/Oannes. Referring to the Hebrew word Q'aneh-Bosm (also translated Kaneh-Bosm, and Kineboisin), Benet stated in a later essay;

"The sacred character or Hemp in biblical times is evident from Exodus 30:22- 23, where Moses was instructed by God to anoint the meeting tent and all its furnishings with specially prepared oil, containing hemp. Anointing set sacred things apart from secular. The anointment of sacred objects was an ancient tradition in Israel; holy oil was not to be used for secular purposes... above all, the anointing oil was used for the installation rites of all Hebrew kings and priests." (Benet, 1975)

The book of Exodus records the event of Moses receiving the instructions for making and distributing the hemp enriched holy oil, in the most auspicious tones.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of q'aneh-bosm, 500 shekels of cassia-- all according to the sanctuary shekel-- and a hind of olive oil. Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer. It will be the sacred anointing oil. Then use it to anoint the Tent of the Meeting, the art of the Testimony, the table and all its articles, the lampstand [sic] and its accessories, the alter of incense, the alter of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the basin with its stand. You shall consecrate them so that they will be most holy, and whatever touches them will be holy.
Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, "This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people." (Exodus 30: 22-23)

As one shekel equals approximately 16.37 grams, this means that the THC of over 9 pounds of flowering cannabis tops, were extracted into a hind, about 6.5 liters of oil. The entheogenic effects of such a solution, even when applied topically would undoubtedly have been intense. Only those who have been "dedicated by the anointing oil of God" (Leviticus 21:20) were permitted to act as priests...

"Around 1980, etymologists at Hebrew University in Jerusalem confirmed that cannabis is mentioned in the Bible by name, Kineboisin(also spelled Kannabosm) in a list of measured ingredients for 'an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of apothecary' to be smeared on the head. The word was mistranslated in King James version as 'calamus' " (Latimer, 1988)

This etymological research was confirmed again that same year by Weston La Barre, who noted that "the term kanebosm occurs as early as both the Aramaic and the Hebrew versions of the Old Testament, hemp being used for rope in Solomon's temple and in priestly robes, as well as ... carried in Biblical caravans". (La Barre, 1980)

- pp. 70 - 72, Sex, Drugs, Violence and the Bible by Chris Bennett and Neil McQueen (2007)

happy

2014-09-20T08:10:00.002-07:00

Show Up In Your LIfe....

2014-09-17T11:00:00.004-07:00